Teaching German

World

Israel - tough times, tough neighborhood

Israel, swept up in the maelstrom of Middle Eastern turmoil, faces an increasingly insecure future. The conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinians' new non-member observer status at the UN have put Israel on the defensive. All around the Middle East, Arab regimes have fallen and it is still not certain what kinds of governments will replace them. Iran is seen as a menace due to its opaque nuclear program and, to make matters more complicated, with elections approaching, the Israelis themselves are divided on the direction their country should take.